FROM the big screen blockbusters to prime time TV, Oxfordshire has long proved the perfect backdrop to many must-see masterpieces.

The famous dreaming spires, world-renowned colleges and the county's rolling countryside have been spotted on screen hosting James Bond, Inspector Morse and Harry Potter.

The interest is not slowing down, either, with Inspector Morse prequel series Endeavour having just been recommissioned for its fourth series.

Queens Lane, New College Lane and part of Catte Street will be closed for filming an as-yet unannounced project from Monday, April 4, to Thursday, April 7.

According to Tim Reynard, who manages the Phoenix Picturehouse cinema in Jericho, Oxford is a natural choice for film crews, boasting not only breathtaking scenery but also some of the best shooting facilities outside of London.

He said: "It has been delightful to see such an array of world class productions shot in Oxfordshire over the past year.

"Oxford is a city that deserves to be on the map and film is an excellent way to achieve that."

Oxford's dreaming spires are perhaps most central in setting the scene for detective series Inspector Morse and spin-offs Lewis and Endeavour.

But the interior of Christ Church has also played an important role in Harry Potter and one modern adaptation of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

Outside of the city, the BBC's internationally acclaimed series Downton Abbey has been filming in Bampton near Witney in 2010.

The village's Old Grammar School starred as "Downton Cottage Hospital"; "Yew Tree Farm" was filmed in Witney's Cogges Manor Farm and Lady Sybil also popped into the at the Swann Inn in Swinbrook, near Burford.

In the past year the county has welcomed the likes of Daniel Craig with the cast of Spectre and a zombie-fighting Gemma Arterton.

Mr Bond raced around iconic Blenheim Palace as a host of super cars rolled up for the 24th Bond movie.

The Palace doubled as the Palazzo Cadenza, in Rome, where Bond’s Aston Martin is parked up before he enters the building and gets his first experience of the Spectre group.

Blenheim also hosted Hollywood film star Shah Rukh Khan among a 300-strong crew filming the movie Fan and is set to be the location for BBC countryfile's first ever live show for four days in August.

Mr Reynard added: "Some of our high admissions are for Oxford-based films, such as Testament of Youth, which shows that the residents of Oxford want to see their home town on the big screen.

"We were particularly excited to be hosting the Oxford Film Festival earlier this year featuring a number of locally-filmed pictures."

Oxfordshire's appearances this year have set tongues wagging this year as eagle-eyed cinema buffs spotted the iconic Oxford city skyline in the trailer for the X-Men: Apocalypse film starring Gemma Arterton, Paddy Considine and Glenn Close, expected to be released in May.

Renee Zellweger and Colin Firth were also spotted at St Mary’s Church in the village of Swinbrook, filming a christening for the final instalment of the Bridget Jones Diary trilogy.

According to tourist board Experience Oxfordshire, the county is reaping the rewards of its silver screen appearances.

Head of marketing and development Martin Walker said: "Oxfordshire is a hugely popular place to film due to its diverse architecture and countryside, combined with its rich history. There are beautiful country houses like Blenheim Palace, the quintessentially Oxonian cobbled streets and colleges that are the back drop to tens of films and everybody’s favourite detective drama, Morse, and the rolling countryside.

"Film and television is a wonderful thing to encourage people into the county as people want to see where series like Downton Abbey or Inspector Morse were filmed.

"Once here, visitors spend money in the local economy, and jobs are created through tour companies starting to meet the demand."